Supporting Purpose and Relevance

We know you’re eager to learn more about purpose and relevance and to start prototyping and testing activities at your school. To help you begin, we’ve put together several evidence-based, researcher-designed activities to support student motivation that can be adapted and customized for your campus. 

As with any practice, these activities are meant to serve as a starting point. We encourage you to think carefully about what will work in your context and what may need to be altered.

 
 
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BUILD CONNECTIONS

An activity for students to make connections between what they are learning in school and their interests outside of the classroom. In this activity, students generate a list of personal interests and topics they have learned, then identify potential connections between their interests and course topics. By prompting students to reflect on the relation between coursework and personal interests, this activity highlights the relevance of school for students.

 
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utility value interventions

A writing exercise for students to identify the usefulness of course work for their daily lives, interests/hobbies, and personal goals and aspirations. In this activity, students identify how course material connects to their lives and future goals. By completing this activity one or more times during the semester, students learn to make connections between school and their lives.

 
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Reflecting on your purpose for learning

A writing exercise for students to reflect on the role learning plays in becoming the people they want to be. In this activity, students reflect on how school relates to real-world problems. Students are asked to focus on issues that matter to them personally and connect the skills they’re learning in school to their future selves.